Renault India just launched the Triber compact MPV last week, at a very competitive starting price tag of Rs. 4.95 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. The Triber is based on the Renault Kwid’s CMF-A platform, and even shares the 1-liter petrol engine with the hatchback. However, the Renault Triber has been launched only with a manual gearbox, and this raised many eyebrows during the launch event. We now can confirm to you that the Triber compact MPV will go AMT early next year. The same 5 speed automated manual transmission that’s offered on the Kwid 1.0 will be carried over to the Triber. Power and torque outputs are likely to be unchanged at 71 Bhp-96 Nm. The AMT variants are likely to be offered on the RRS and RXZ trims. The AMT variants are expected to be about Rs. 50,000-60,000 pricier than the manual variants, and will be India’s least priced automatic MPV.
The Triber is aimed at younger buyers seeking a versatile vehicle with high ground clearance and lots of space in a small footprint, at a very affordable price tag. The (USP) unique selling proposition of the compact MPV is its 7-seat layout that can be mixed and matched to either focus on carrying more people or luggage. In fact, the last two seats can be completely removed from the car in seconds, adding to the vehicle’s versatility.
The Triber can be configured to carry 2 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 people as per the need. The compact MPV features butch styling on the outside, giving it the vibe of a crossover than an MPV, and this could be another major factor that attracts buyers towards it. In terms of features, the Triber gets a touchscreen infotainment unit on the center console, with Renault’s MediaNAV interface that adds GPS navigation, Bluetooth, aux, phone calling, music streaming, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
In terms of safety features, twin airbags, ABS, reverse parking sensors, speed alerts, seat belt reminders and ISOFIX child seat mounting points are standard across all variants. This makes even the entry level RXE trim of the Triber a relatively safe option to buy. Currently, the Triber does not have any direct competition from mainstream MPVs in India such as the Maruti Ertiga and Toyota Innova Crysta thanks to its low-price tag.
While the Datsun Go+ is an alternative, it looks a generation behind the Triber. It does get a more powerful petrol engine in the form of the 1.2 liter-3-cylinder HR12DE unit with 67 Bhp-104 Nm on tap. There’s no automatic gearbox on offer yet although Datsun is said to be working on offering a CVT automatic gearbox on both the Go and Go+ models. In terms of pricing, the Datsun Go+ is a lot cheaper than the Triber, variant to variant.